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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397454">Revenge Is Best Served Bloody</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianDiamond/pseuds/ObsidianDiamond'>ObsidianDiamond</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Dark Past, Manipulation, Murder, Other, Scars, Tags May Change, Toppat King Ending | TK (Henry Stickmin), Violence, characters will be added, injuries</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:36:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianDiamond/pseuds/ObsidianDiamond</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After failing a mission, a few very important Toppat Clan members were captured and locked up in the Wall. Henry had no other choice than to free them, so he, Ellie, and the top operators Reginald Copperbottom – the former leader – and his Right Hand Man formed a plan to sneak into the complex while the warden was welcoming the new recruits and free them.<br/>They, however, didn’t expect Dmitri to have increased the security, and so they were spotted. They had to flee, and while the others made it safely back to the ship, Henry somehow took the wrong turn and ended up in a cold dark area that almost seemed like a labyrinth.<br/>What is this place?<br/>Why hasn’t he seen it on any map?<br/>What terrible secret held the blackness inside of it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will be added through the story</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Breaking Into The Complex Was A Bad Idea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey ^^<br/>Nice to see you. I hope you have a good time while reading this fanfic. And please forgive me for the mistakes. English is not my native language😅.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dark…</p><p>Cold…</p><p>Sad…</p><p>A place where all hope dies…</p><p>Those were the words with which Henry would describe “The Wall”.</p><p>Its atmosphere was filled with the broken souls of the inmates that were locked in their cold, small cells, doomed to spend the rest of their lives under the strict rules of the complex, never to be free ever again.</p><p>The new leader of the Toppats shuddered as he remembered the cold hands of the man that had brought him into the room where he was supposed to wait for the transfer, Grigori was his name if he remembered correctly, and the dark glint in his eyes as he told him that he had to wait until his cell was found. He had to admit that was one of the worst moments in his life.</p><p>The criminal sighed and shook his head, taking the top hat off so that he could let his fingers run through his hair while he looked at Reginald, who was staring into the distance,  pulling at his mustache while he eyed the gigantic complex that held some of their members as prisoners. “I’ve forgotten how massive this complex actually is.”, he muttered under his breath and shot a nervous glance at his selectively mute leader. “I just hope your plan works.”</p><p>“Me too.”, Ellie’s voice came from the right side, and he turned to face her. She was leaning against the chair, her short hair tied back into a small ponytail that was barely visible thanks to her Toppat. “I don’t want to become a prisoner again. Especially not <em>here</em>!” Henry nodded, agreeing with her, lifting his head a bit so that he could see the yard, the only place that was illuminated at the moment.</p><p>No wonder. Right now, it was the only place that was filled with people.</p><p>It wasn’t a coincident that they were approaching the complex so early in the morning. Thanks to the spy they had in the staff, they knew that the warden, Dmitri Johannes Petrov, was welcoming new recruits right now, which meant that there were no prison guards that could get in the way.</p><p>The welcome ceremony always took quite a while, so they had plenty of time. Thanks to their spy (again), they knew where the Toppats were locked in, and the only thing they had to do was to open the doors and to escape before the guards come and kick their asses. Unfortunately, all of them were locked up on different floors, which meant they had to separate.</p><p>Right Hand Man would free Mr. Macbeth, who was locked in a cell just below the cliff, Reginald would save Handsome Harrold and Geoffrey Plumb that were quite at the bottom, and Henry and Ellie will get Carol Cross. They all got maps of the complex in case they didn’t remember which turn they took, the cells that they needed to open marked with a red, blinking spot so that they wouldn’t accidentally free the wrong inmates.</p><p>Now, they just needed to get high enough so that the non-cyborgs could jump down and use their parachute to get on the platform. They needed to be careful, though. They didn’t know how high they could get without the alarms going off. The top could just barely look over the cliff when they were finally high enough, and Henry forced himself out of his seat with a sigh, grabbing his gun, shoving it into the bag before he nodded towards the high-ranked Toppats next to him, turning to the exit of the room, Ellie and Reginald following him.</p><p>Right Hand Man already stood on the platform, his eyes fixated on the window Mr. Macbeth was behind, his cybernetic one glowing softly in the dark. He turned his head towards them when they went outside, coats covering their bodies so that they wouldn’t get sick during the mission. It was cold as hell out here.</p><p>“Are you all ready to go?”, Ellie asked, looking at everyone, grinning brightly when everyone – except Right Hand Man because he almost never gives her a response – gave her a nod. “Good, then let’s get on with it. The sooner we get in there, the more time we have to get them all out.” With those words, she jumped over the fence, letting herself fall for a few seconds before opening her parachute, slowly gliding towards the platform. Henry followed, barely hearing the thrusters of the male redhead before the sound got lost in the wind.</p><p>They glided through the air for quite some time, landing softly on the metallic surface of the stairs. “Phew…that was quite close.”, Ellie muttered as she turned around and looked down, swallowing thickly as she realized that they almost missed.</p><p>Henry nodded, disconnecting the parachute from his back before he walked up to the door, opening it.</p><p>The halls behind were pitch black, not even a single lamp was turned on, only the dim light of the moon let them make out the frames of the doors. They looked at each other, the redhead grinning slightly as she reached into her pockets, pulling out two flashlights, handing one of them to Henry. “See, I told you they’d come in handy.” The taller male only huffed before he went inside, a sigh of relief escaping his throat as he finally got away from the freezing cold.</p><p>“Wow…now that this place is empty, it somehow seems twice as big. I wonder how the guards don’t get lost in here. I would totally always take the wrong turn.”, Ellie muttered as she pulled out a small device, turning it on, the map of the complex appearing on the screen. They walked straight ahead, taking a turn to the right, where they soon stood in front of a closed door. “Shit.”, the redhead snarled as she walked up to it, searching for a way to open it. She spotted a magnetic card reader (is that correct?). “How are we going to get through now?”, she asked while she turned her head to Henry, who already looked like he was deep in thought, his free hand playing with his hat.</p><p>After good two minutes, he suddenly snapped his fingers and took a few steps back, his eyes fixated on the device. His friend only gave him a confused look, which quickly turned into one of surprise as he began to charge towards it, jumping and kicking it with his shoes, destroying it. It made a few beeping noises, which became deeper and deeper until it went silent, the door opening, revealing another hallway.</p><p>Ellie blinked a few times, her brain processing what just happened before she shrugged. “That’s…one way to do it.”, she muttered as she continued to walk, a grinning Toppat leader following.</p><p>They walked along the hallway and soon stood in front of four turns, all of them leading to cells. Henry blinked, turning his head towards Ellie who immediately nodded in understanding, looking at the maps. “It’s that one.”, she informed him and mentioned for the second hall on the right side. “If this map is correct, she’s locked in cell fourteen.”</p><p>The Toppat leader nodded and decided to do as the map told them to. He poked his head around the corner – just in case – before walking past all the cell doors, his eyes reading the numbers on the small shields next to them. He stopped at the fourteen, nodding to his right hand lady. “Ah, there it is. Now, again, how do we get the door open? I don’t see a magnetic card reader here.”, she muttered and crossed her arms in front of her chest, one hand on her chin.</p><p>Henry hummed and looked around, trying to find a way to open the cells, but this time, there was nothing he could do. Reaching into his pockets, he tried to find something that would be helpful in this situation. The only things he found, however, were a lockpick, a hammer, and a laser. He hummed, showing the objects to Ellie.</p><p>The young woman took a look and immediately reached for the laser. “Maybe this is strong enough to cut through the Wall.”, she muttered more to herself than to her leader, and activated it, wondering what will happen. At first, it was only a small light shooting out of the small, pencil-like object, but soon, it got hotter and hotter and cut through the wall like a scissor through paper. The piece that was cut out began to move, falling directly into their direction.</p><p>Henry would be nothing more than a piece of the floor if it wouldn’t have been for his Right Hand Lady pulling him back.</p><p>He gave her a smile and a thumbs-up, thanking her in his own way, before they stepped into the cell, hoping they got the right one. And they did.</p><p>Carol Cross stood in the corner, staring at them with a rare expression of surprise on her face. Her short, black hair was a little bit messy, her suit was messed up, and her hat was missing, but other than that she seemed uninjured.</p><p>Ellie and Henry wiped their hands on their clothes, the younger waving at the other woman. “Hey, Carol. We’re here to save you.”, she greeted her, a bright grin on her face. The black-haired woman blinked a few times, before she shook her head, her dark eyes fixated on them. “It’s about time.”, she scoffed, but there was a smile on her face and a glint of relief in her eyes. Ellie rolled her eyes, turning around and stepping over the mess of bricks and rocks, followed by the others.</p><p>Henry’s right hand lady reached into her pockets, pulling out a gun, handing it to Carol, who gladly took it. It felt good to have a weapon again. She hated to admit it, but she felt so vulnerable when her gun was taken from her.</p><p>After she put it away, the three Toppats continued to walk, expecting nothing bad to come as they turned around the now lit corner…</p><p>They, however, were wrong.</p><p>---</p><p>“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”, a deep voice, heavy with a thick Russian accent, echoed through the air as a tall, muscular man stepped out of the crowd of armed and heavily armored guards, his face twisted into the sternest expression anyone had ever seen, his dark blue eyes shone with hate and disgust as they settled on the three criminals.</p><p>He wore a dark grey uniform, the insignia of the Wall on the left side of his chest. His short, graying hair was brushed back, and his beard looked well-taken care of, covering the area around his thin, heavily scarred lips. On his hips was more than one gun, all of them different types, one worse and more dangerous than the other, and he held a spear in his hands, the tip directly pointed at Henry's chest.</p><p>This man was none other than Grigori Olyat, right hand man to the warden of “The Wall”, Dmitri Johannes Petrov, and his was skin covered in some leftover bruises and right arm wrapped up in a thick bandage.</p><p>Oh right. He had been hit by a car during the escape incident.</p><p>Oopsie.</p><p>“Henry Stickmin and Ellie Rose. What wonderful surprise. Didn’t think I would see you would return here on your own.”, he spoke as he walked closer, completely unimitated by the guns that were aimed at him. “Don’t worry, we just wanted to leave.”, the young redhead hissed, flinching slightly as the old man growled deeply. “Oh no, you don’t. You are going to be here for a very long time.”, he spoke, his back straightening while the spear heated up, ready to shoot a laser.</p><p>“If you don’t want to stay on your own, however, I have no other choice than to force you.”</p><p>Henry cried out as the laser barely missed his head and turned around, running for his life as the other guards began shooting as well. Carol and Ellie followed him, but they soon realized that staying together in this situation was a very bad idea. “We’ve got to split up.”, the black-haired woman called over the loud noises, causing them to nod. “Yeah, good idea. I’ll take the left turn.” “I’ll run straight ahead then, which means you’ve got to go right, boss.”, Carol yelled, causing Henry to give a panicked nod.</p><p>He just wanted to be out of the firing range.</p><p>The deeper he got into the Complex, the darker the halls got, and he had to use the flashlight again. He looked around, panicking as Grigori’s deep voice echoed through the air. He was saying something in Russian, and it sounded very threatening. He could only imagine that those were promises to make him suffer.</p><p>He looked around, trying to find something to hide in, but the only thing that caught his eyes was the elevator.</p><p>He swallowed, weighing his options. He could either continue to run down the hall and get shot or he could make his way down with the elevator and risk that he would run into even more guards.</p><p>Elevator. Definitely Elevator.</p><p>He jumped inside and slammed the last button, urging the door to close. It did just in time because the last thing he saw was Grigori’s angry face. He sighed in relief before he leaned against the cold metallic wall, taking his hat off before letting his hands run through his hair. Damn, that was close.</p><p>How did those guards even know that they were here? Have they been down here the entire time? Or did they get some sort of silent alarm that they had activated? Whatever it was, Henry was glad that he made it out alive. He just hoped that the others were okay too, and that they hadn’t been captured. Who knew what this warden would do to them to get information. He shook his head, no, this was not the right time to think about this. He needed to get out of here.</p><p>He waited patiently until the elevator finally stilled and opened its doors, allowing him to step through.</p><p>“What the fuck…” Those words forced themselves out of his throat as he stood in the gigantic, empty hallway. It was pitch-black, the walls were moist, water dropped from the ceiling, forming puddles on the ground before those disappeared through small cracks in the stony surface, and he was sure he could hear some mice making their ways along with them. It was cold down here, so very cold, almost as much as it was outside. Henry could even see his breath.</p><p>He looked around, trying to find a way that would lead him out of here, wondering if it was a dead end since there were absolutely no other hallways here, when suddenly, a metallic surface reflected the light of the flashlight, letting it shine directly into his face. The Toppat clan leader flinched violently and let go, letting it fall to the ground and lifting his hands to shield his eyes, groaning as a sharp pain shot through his skull.</p><p>He took a step back, needing a few moments until he finally composed himself enough to let his arms sink again, daring to look at what had caused him such pain.</p><p>There was a door, a door thicker and more secure than any other he had ever seen. It was made of metal and steel, covered in locks and security systems. There were several red lamps on top of it, all of them glowing green, as if it was open. Carefully, the criminal stepped closer, picking up his flashlight, decreasing the intendancy of the light so that he wouldn’t be blinded again. He reached out, letting his hands caress the cold surface, feeling all the scratches and bumps.</p><p>He asked himself what was behind that door. Was it riches? Was it trophies? Was it criminals? All of those options were possible.</p><p>Henry hummed as he took a step back, pulling the same device out of his pockets that Ellie had used to navigate them through the complex. He turned it on, hoping that it would show him where he was and what was on the other side. But that hope was shattered when it merely showed him the floor that would lead him to the dock and that he was standing in the middle of a small hallway. This was certainly not where he was.</p><p>He turned it off and on again, hoping for a better result this time, but it showed him the same structures as it did before. Henry growled and put it back into his pockets, asking himself if it was broken. He was not the best at reading maps, but even he could see that he was not in the place the device showed him to be. He was somewhere entirely else. Either way, it was malfunctioning or…</p><p>He was in a place it didn’t know existed.</p><p>This thought made him pause, and he blinked softly, lifting his head to stare at the heavy door that hid something unknown. He wanted to know what was behind its thick structure.</p><p>He reached out, grabbing the massive door handle that was almost too thick to wrap his fingers around, trying to open it. It didn’t budge. The Toppat leader cursed under his breath and took a step back, crossing his arms in front of his chest, letting his hands search for something that might open the door. He found another magnetic card reader and a keypad right next to the door, both of them connected to it with thick cables wrapped up in a metallic surface to protect them.</p><p>Maybe he could get through if he hacked one of them. He wasn’t the best, but he could remember some special tricks the Right Hand Man showed him during heists.</p><p>He searched for something he could break the cover off the keyboard so that he could get access to the cables behind it, and soon found a few bricks that had fallen off the wall. He walked over and grabbed one. Getting the cover off was harder than he thought it would be. One brick wasn’t even enough, he even had to get a second one, but after roughly ten minutes, he finally managed to break it off and to get access to the area behind.</p><p>It looked, quite complicated to be honest. Carefully and clearly nervous, Henry reached out and began to work on the device, trying his best to solve it.</p><p>At first, it didn’t work, and the longer the leader of the Toppats was fumbling around, the angrier he got, and soon, he just slammed his entire fist into it, breaking it…and turning the left lamp red. He flinched as the light changed its color, turning his head towards it.</p><p>Oh…seems like this was the right thing to do. Henry shook his head, dipping his top hat back to wipe the sweat off his forehead before he walked towards the magnetic card reader, getting the cover off with a few hits again, staring at the cables inside of it. He kneeled in front of it, trying his best to do it properly, sighing in relief when he managed it. He watched as the middle light turned green, standing up, grinning brightly because he was proud of himself.</p><p>Henry walked in front of the door again, searching for the third option to turn the last light green, but after a few minutes of searching, he found none. The Toppat leader hummed quietly and stepped forward, pressing his palm against the cold metal, wondering how he was going to open it. He kneeled down in front of it, searching for some kind of keyhole, and this time, he was successful.</p><p>It was hidden under a small metallic plate that was almost impossible to see, but after Henry had let his hands roam all around it, his sensitive fingers eventually caught the change of texture. He shoved it out of the way to get a good view of the keyhole, a smile on his face as he realized that he could get through with a simple lockpick.</p><p>He reached underneath his hat and into his hair, pulling out a small lockpick he kept there for several reasons, and got to work. After only a few minutes, he heard a click, and the last light turned green, the sounds of a complicated mechanism unlocking behind the thick, metallic surface.</p><p>He wrapped his fingers around the door handle, putting all of his weight against it until it finally reacted, opening the door with a loud, heavy creak that hurt his ears. He flinched back, rubbing them softly to ease the pain, before he dared to push it completely open, exposing pure darkness behind. He looked around with the flashlight, but there were no walls to see, only a few pillars could now be seen. The air in there was freezing, much colder than the one that had surrounded him only a few seconds ago, causing him to wrap his coat tighter around himself as he took a hesitating step inside, holding his breath to listen if there were any noises.</p><p>He could hear how water dripped from the ceiling to the floor and slowly formed puddles, he could hear how the wind now blew through the air and how the rats were running around, trying to hide from the “intruder”. Otherwise than that…Silence.</p><p>He took a few more steps, letting his hand leave the door, flinching violently as it suddenly slammed close…locking him inside.</p><p>He could feel the panic rising inside of him as he heard the locks click again, and he turned around, trying to open the door. The handle didn’t even move an inch. Shocked, the Toppat leader took a shaking step back, swallowing thickly as he realized that he was trapped, with absolutely no way out. “Shit…”, he cursed under his breath and pulled his coat even tighter around him as the temperature seemed to drop even more. He tried to open it, once again using his whole weight, but like before, the door handle did not react at all.</p><p>He cursed again, louder this time to express his anger, digging his teeth into his lips so hard the skin broke, causing blood to flow out of the fresh wound. He turned towards the darkness again, realizing that he had to find a way out through there. He stared into the blackness for good five minutes before he finally dared to start walking, his steps echoing through the air.</p><p>The deeper he seemed to go inside the colder it got. The hall did not seem to want to end. He ran past so many pillars already, he had lost count of them, and when he looked up, he realized that the ceiling was far too high up to be seen.</p><p>It was uncomfortably silent in here.</p><p>He could hear his own heartbeat, breathing, and his rumbling stomach, which was complaining because he missed dinner yesterday. He took more steps forward and flinched as he heard the squeaks of the rats he had disturbed. He jumped back a little bit, stumbling over his own feet, and soon fell on the ground, his gun hitting the cold stone with a loud “<em>thud</em>”, which echoed through the cold, lifeless blackness. The Toppat leader listened as the sound came again and again, shivering as he searched for his flashlight, which he had let go when he had lost his balance.</p><p>He grabbed it and searched for the source of the squeaking, soon find a whole colony of rats running away from him, right into the direction he came from.</p><p>He couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief when he forced himself to stand up again, dusting himself off, rubbing the sore spot on his ass. He gave a deep sigh of relief before he dared to continue to walk, looking after them for the split of a second before he returned his sight to where it belonged. He smiled when he finally found something that looked like it was a wall – a wall most likely means a door in most situations –, but it quickly faded as he found that it was just another pillar.</p><p>He sighed and walked past it…stopping when he noticed a few dead rats. He stared at them, wondering what happened to them. Those poor animals looked like a monster ripped them apart. He could see the dried blood splayed all over the floor and the guts right in it, partly ripped off. He was sure that if he would look into their eyes, he would find a look of horror in there.</p><p>Henry swallowed thickly as slowly put distance between himself and the pile of dead animals, feeling how the uneasiness slowly crept up within him. He reached up to rub his neck, slowly taking a few steps back from the poor creature, hurrying to get away from it as soon as possible. He could feel that the desire to get out of here suddenly became so much bigger that he was almost unable to bear. He even began to run, trying to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible.</p><p>He sprinted past a few pillars, getting out of the way of a very thick one before he would collapse with it…but as he turned to the right, something caught his food, making him stumble and fall again. The sound echoed through the dark once again, leaving him frozen on the floor in shock for a few seconds. After he managed to snap himself out of it by shaking his head, the young man lifted his head and turned around, wanting to know what this incident caused.</p><p>…</p><p>A cry ripped itself from his throat as he stared at the cause.</p><p>A skeleton was lying on the floor, its dead eye sockets staring directly at him. The bones were discolored, a slight red covering the normal white color...letting him know that this person hasn't been dead for too long. Something happened down here...something that caused the fate of the woman or man lying here, in the darkness, probably never meant to be found.</p><p>His eyes were fixated on it, unable to turn away. He couldn't move, only stare at the ripped uniform that at least hid some of the bones. He could see that there were bite marks on the discolored surface. Some of them looked like there were from rats, others looked like they were from something entirely else.</p><p>He swallowed, beginning to shake as the panic began to settle in, cursing when he realized when he couldn't move yet. Thousands of questions raged through his head.</p><p>
  <em>- Who were they?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- How did they get here?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- Did they die a natural death?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- Were they murdered?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- Who bit the bones?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>- Has it been the rats?</em>
</p><p><em>- Or something entirely</em> <em>else?</em></p><p>
  <em>- Was he alone down here?</em>
</p><p>He swallowed again as the temperature seemed to drop even more,  pulling his coat tighter around himself as he continued to stare at the skeleton, his hands shaking and sweating, his head filling with more and more scenarios of how this person died.</p><p>This would have gone for hours and hours...if not for the voice that suddenly echoed through the air.</p><p>"<em><strong>Well, well, well. Look who we have here...</strong></em>"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ebony</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Well.”, she asked, and crocked her head to the side. “Did you already decide, or do you need more time?”</p><p>Henry nodded, swallowing thickly before he forced himself to speak. “Y-yes. Let’s team up.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The bold writing is the people speaking Russian and the bold and curved writing is someone screaming.😅</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His entire body froze when the deep, female echoing voice reached his ears, and Henry could feel how his mind went blank with panic.</p><p>He looked around, trying to find out where it came from, but the only thing he could make out was darkness. For the split of a second, he thought his mind had been playing tricks on him, that he simply had imagined those words that had reached his ears, but that thought was quickly pushed aside when he heard a deep, raspy chuckle filled with amusement echoing through the air.</p><p>It seemed to come from every direction, making it impossible for him to make out where the owner of this voice was. His heart thundered against his ribcage with a painful force, and his lungs felt like they were closing, making it difficult to breathe.</p><p>“<em>What a surprise. I didn’t think that the head of the complex would send another one down here. Especially since what happened to the last one</em>.”, the voice spoke again, sounding so much louder than before. It was filled with amusement, mockery, and a little of insanity. It was deep and raspy, like it hasn’t been used for a long time, and its owner was very close by, making the leader of the Toppats even more nervous than he was before.</p><p>He could feel how sweat began to form on his forehead, letting his hair stick to his skin. It ran down his face and collected on his chin, dripping down once in a while.</p><p>“<em>Or aren’t you down here on purpose?</em>”, the stranger asked, chuckling afterward. “<em>Did you just get lost and somehow landed in here? Oh, such a terrible fate.</em>” This time, the voice sounded like it was just behind him. Henry wiped around, almost stumbling over his own feet, thinking that he now might finally look into the face of the one who was giving him those uncomfortable feelings, but he only came to view with darkness.</p><p>Okay…this was getting unnerving.</p><p>The laugh that soon echoed through the air made him flinch more violently than he had ever done in his life. It was everywhere again.</p><p>Above him, behind him, under him, next to him. He looked around, rotating around himself again, just about to fall, when suddenly, something heavy hit his entire body, sending him straight to the floor, his flashlight landing a few feet away from him, the light now shining into the darkness.</p><p>He cried out as pain shot through his body, but the sound died in his throat when he felt long, strong, ice-cold fingers wrap around his entire neck, strangling him. He gagged, his own hand wrapping around the thin wrist of its owner, trying to pull it away, but…it didn’t work.</p><p>No matter, how much strength he put into his efforts to get free, it didn’t bother the one leaning above him. The person only laughed roughly, increasing the force, digging her claws into his flesh, breaking the skin, causing him to bleed. His lungs began to hurt, his world began to get blurry, and the only thing he could make out were two red, glowing orbs that were fixated on him.</p><p>“<em>How unfortunate for you. Out of all places you could have landed, you got yourself stuck in a situation where there is absolutely no way out. What a terrible fate indeed.</em>”</p><p>He heard a deep chuckle, and the stranger shuffled around, adjusting her position. The hand around his neck suddenly disappeared, finally allowing him to breathe, but just after he took his first breath and coughed a little bit due to the lack of oxygen, it returned, its cold skin sending shivers through his body.</p><p>The long fingers almost wrapped around his entire skull, lifting his head just a little bit, turning it left and right with such force it made the leader wince. “<em>Hmm. You are quite young too, aren’t you? This makes it even better.</em>”, the stranger purred and leaned closer, her face now right above his ear. “<em>What a shame for you. You could have lived such a wonderful, long life, but instead</em>…”, she paused, and he felt the grip around his skull got tighter. “<em>You took one wrong turn, and this one turn leads you directly to your </em><strong><em>death</em></strong>!”</p><p>The voice of the owner of those glowing orbs got deeper, much deeper. It sounded like another one had joined in too, and both were now echoing through the blackness surrounding them.</p><p>Slowly the pressure increased more and more. He could feel how it built up, and his vision immediately went blurry again. He gasped, crying out when he felt something sharp cut into his skin, reaching his bones with ease. Henry tried to free himself, but just like before, all of his efforts were useless, his strength was no match for the one leaning over him…</p><p>…which meant that he couldn’t do anything to prevent her from crushing his skull.</p><p>He gasped as a sharp pain rushed through his head, bringing tears to his eyes. His vision began to fade, he could feel how his brain slowly gave in to the tempting blackness that began to wrap around him, slowly pulling him into the world of unconsciousness so that he would not have to feel the pain that was to come.</p><p>…</p><p>But suddenly, it all stopped.</p><p>The hand on his skull disappeared, and the claws gently wrapped around his chin, forcing him to look up. “<em>Wait a second…</em>”, the stranger muttered and turned his head to the sides, properly taking in his appearance. “<em>You don’t look like a prison guard.</em>” She reached out with the other hand, grabbing his hat that laid on the floor not far away from them. “<em>And you certainly are not dressed like one either, unless “The Wall” has changed uniforms while I was gone…</em>”</p><p>Henry shook his head, openly denying that he belonged to those insane people. The stranger hummed and let his top hat fall to the ground, and it landed right next to his head. She was staring at him, one hand returning to his neck. She didn’t strangle him this time, though, her fingers only lingered there, ready to kill him if she should feel the need to.</p><p>“<em>Interesting…</em>”, she muttered more to herself than to Henry and shuffled around, probably to get into a more comfortable position. He could hear something scratch the floor, creating a horrible sound that made the leader of the Toppats flinch violently.</p><p>The gigantic shadow of the stranger leaned back a little bit, adjusting her legs, which were in a very…weird position no normal leg should be in. “<em>Interesting indeed. I didn’t think I would see a soul that is not a prison guard down here. And I don’t think that you’re a prisoner either. You look…far too sane and mentally unscarred to be one.</em>”</p><p>Henry shook his head, wincing as the movement caused one of the claws to dig into his skin. Not deep, but enough to draw blood. The stranger hummed, the glowing red orbs glowing brightly. “<em>Well…who are you then?</em>”</p><p>Silence…</p><p>Henry couldn’t answer. He didn’t know why, but when he opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out. Seconds passed, and the owner of those sharp eyes began to get impatient. “<em>I asked you a question, and I expect you to answer</em>.”, she growled and the grip on his neck began to tighten again. Another second passed, and her lips twitched, her fangs flashing in the light.</p><p>“<em><strong>SPEAK</strong></em>!!” She lifted an arm, the claws flashing in the darkness, ready to hit him.</p><p>Henry flinched, pressing his eyes closed, gasping something that made her pause. “<em>What was that</em>?”, she asked and leaned down. “<em>I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you. You did not speak…very clearly</em>.”</p><p>The young man let out a shuddering breath and swallowed the saliva in his mouth, forcing himself to repeat what he just said. “T-Toppats…”, he rasped, making the owner of those glowing orbs chuckle. “I-I belong to the T-Toppats.”</p><p>“<em>Ah, there it is</em>.”, she purred and let her arm sink again. “<em>Toppats, huh…I think I’ve heard that before…Let me think.</em>” She turned her head away from him, her eyes giving off a soft, red glow as she began to get lost in her memories, the claws on his neck tapping against his skin. Henry’s body used the little pause of events to calm itself down, and he took deep breaths to get enough oxygen into his system to replace the one that was taken away from him by the stranger, who unfortunately slowly turned her head to look at him again.</p><p>“<em>Aren’t they some sort of criminal organization?</em>”, she asked and crocked her head the side, those eyes glowing brightly. That seems to happen whenever she was interested in something. Henry ripped himself out of his thoughts as he realized that he made her wait again, and not to get hit or even killed, he nodded. “<em>Interesting. And what role do you play? Are you some sort of errand boy?</em>”</p><p>Henry shook his head, taking a few deep breaths before he forced himself to speak again, trying to ignore the sharp claws on his skin. “N-no. I’m the l-leader.”, he stuttered…making the other pause in surprise. “<em>Leader?</em>”, she asked, sincerely surprised. “<em>I honestly didn’t expect that. But knowing this makes me wonder, what are you doing in the complex?</em>” Her other hand waved around, referring to the surroundings. “<em>Especially </em>down here.”</p><p>“I f-failed our r-resc-cue mission…t-there were so many g-guards. W-we had t-to flee. …”, he rasped as good as he could. The stranger hummed. “<em>And you took the wrong turn and somehow landed here…how unfortunate for the guards…but how fortunate for you.</em>”, she purred, making Henry pause.</p><p>What did she mean by that?</p><p>How in the hell was this fortunate for him?</p><p>This insane person was going to kill him only a few minute ago! Yes, that was better than being locked up in a complex where he would spend the rest of his life staring at the cold stone wall wondering if he would ever see his friends again, but <em>still</em>…</p><p>Sensing his confusion, the stranger chuckled and began to speak, their voice dark and ice-cold, causing shivers to run down Henry’s spine.</p><p>“<em>You know, kid, I have been locked up in here for a very,</em> very<em> long time.</em>”, she started, her lips twitching. “<em>For many, many years I was forced to live here, in this cold, dark area that was especially build to keep me contained. Day for day, I have to stare at this cold, lifeless walls, and ceiling, only having mice and rats for company.</em>” She jumped to her feet, beginning to pace, the thin robe covering her body swaying in the wind.</p><p><em>“I suffer, I suffer from hunger, from starvation and what is the worst, I suffer from </em><strong><em>humiliation</em></strong><em>.</em>”, the last word was screamed into the darkness, and she turned towards him, her eyes glowing brightly in rage. “<em>This, all of this, every brick and pillar reminds me of my defeat by a </em><strong><em>group</em></strong><em> led by </em><strong><em>one man</em></strong><em>.”</em> She panted, stopping dead in her tracks, probably realizing that she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, walking towards him again.</p><p>“<em>Point is, I want to get out of here, and I can only assume that you want the same.</em>”, she spoke as she stared at the leader of the Toppats, who was still laying on the floor, chuckling when he nodded. “<em>That’s what I thought.</em>”, she growled softly as she walked towards him, setting a foot on his chest.</p><p>Henry’s heart almost stopped when he felt something sharp on through the thin layer of his shirt, but he didn’t have much time to think about it as the stranger began to speak again. “<em>Well, since we have the same goal, why don’t we form an alliance?</em>” Her question made Henry pause, and he lifted his head a little bit so that he would be able to look into those sharp, glowing eyes.</p><p>“<em>Think about it, Toppat leader. I am your only chance to get out of here. I’m the key to your freedom, just as much as you are mine.</em>”, she purred leaned down, her body twisting into an unhealthy ankle. “<em>You need my strength, and I need your knowledge</em>.”</p><p>She leaned up again, her eyes glowing expectantly. “<em>Well, what do you say</em>?”</p><p>That offer was…tempting, to say the least. Henry sat up as soon as the stranger lifted her foot off his chest, taking a step back to let him think.</p><p>She did have a point…Her strength was enormous, he had felt it himself, and with it, she would be certainly could deal with any heavily armored guard that stood in her way with ease. Henry wouldn’t have a single chance against them, let alone Grigori, who probably wanted nothing more than to kill him, but he did know where he had to go to get out of here, and if they would combine these things together, just like back then with Ellie, they would be out of here in no time.</p><p>He turned his head to the stranger, whose eyes were staring at him, expectantly. “<em>Well</em>.”, she asked, and crocked her head to the side. “<em>Did you already decide, or do you need more time?</em>”</p><p>Henry nodded, swallowing thickly before he forced himself to speak. “Y-yes. Let’s team up.”</p><p>A chuckle sounded through the darkness, and she pushed herself away from the pillar, walking straight towards him. “<em>Very well, then</em>.”, she purred and reached out, her claws reflecting the dim light of the flashlight as she offered him her hand.</p><p>“<em>Then we have a deal</em>.”</p><p>Henry nodded as he took it, flinching as the ice-cold skin touched his own. With frightening ease, the stranger lifted him to his feet again, watching as he dusted off his clothes. Rubbing the sore spot on his neck, Henry went to get his flashlight, constantly looking over his shoulder since he didn’t trust her fully yet.</p><p>As soon as he held it in his hands, slowly turned towards the owner of those glowing orbs again, his heart almost stopping at what he saw.</p><p>She was the tallest living being Henry had ever seen with his own eyes, easily towering over him. She was thin, far too thin. The robe she wore, which would have been much too tight for him, hung from her skinny body and to the floor, covering her body underneath her collarbone. What was visible was littered with heavy scars that looked like the results of very violent battles.</p><p>The one on her right eye stood out. It was darker than the others, its rims were swollen, and looked like it hadn’t healed probably yet. It began at her forehead and ended just above her thin, scarred lips, which were hiding several rows of dagger-like fangs, strong enough to bite through steel.</p><p>Her long ebony colored hair seemed unkempt and was, like the rest of her, in desperate need for a wash, but it seemed healthy. It covered her entire back,  and the ends curled up to small locks that wrapped around her arms or neck. He could see the long, sharp ears pocking out from behind them. They were twitching once in a while, catching every sound in the entire area.</p><p>Her eyes were sharp and didn’t seem to have pupils, but when Henry looked directly into them, which was almost impossible given the brightness their glow possessed, he could make out a small change of color where the black orb was supposed to be.</p><p>“<em>Are you done</em>?”, she suddenly asked, and Henry realized that he had been staring at her for the last few minutes. But who could blame him? He had never seen such a human, no, creature, before. She looked so...so unusual. She looked like the embodiment of power, but she was also strangely beautiful.</p><p>The Toppat leader looked away, a blush of shame covering his cheek. The tall female chuckled roughly and walked over to him, crossing the distance between them with only two steps.</p><p>“<em>I don’t believe that we have had time to introduce ourselves. My name is Ebony, given by the color of my mane</em>.”, she chuckled and let her claws run through her hair, hissing when she caught a knot. “<em>And you are?</em>” “H-Henry Stick-min.”, he spoke roughly, making her ears twitch. “Henry, hm?”</p><p>The way she said his name sent shivers down his spine, and he swallowed thickly, wanting to put as much distance in between him and her as possible. She, of course, noticed, and couldn’t hold back the laugh that forced itself out of her throat. “<em>Well then, Henry, would you mind showing me how you came in? I’m dying to get out of here as soon as possible.</em>”</p><p>---</p><p>Henry could feel Ebony’s sharp eyes on the back of his head as they slowly walked through the cold darkness surrounding them. She was walking right next to him, her posture was slightly hunched over, and her legs kind of made a very unusual noise every time the sole of her foot touched the ground. It almost sounded like talons scratching the stone floor.</p><p>The leader of the Toppats shook his head, feeling relief fill him when he suddenly spotted the heavy door that kept the powerful being trapped. Ebony took a step forward, reaching out, her claws tracing the metallic surface. “<em>This door…this is how you got in, correct</em>?”, she asked and turned her large head into his direction. She watched how he nodded, a deep humming sound escaping her throat.</p><p>“<em>This door is, that is what I have heard, filled with complicated mechanisms that are supposed to keep me trapped in here</em>”, she muttered and turned her attention back to the movable barrier that had kept her trapped for such a long time. “<em>I may be powerful to you Henry, but I am capable of so much more.</em>”</p><p>She took a step back and balled her fist, slamming it to the metallic surface. A huge tent appeared where there was not even a scratch before, large enough so that Henry could stick his entire head inside. Ebony grunted and rubbed her sore hand, angered by the fact that the years of imprisonment had such an effect on her.</p><p>“<em>If I wouldn’t be starving, I would have been able to punch through this door, but as you can see, the only thing I am able to do is to damage it. This is where you come in</em>.”, she purred and walked up to him, setting one hand on his shoulder. “<em>Do what you did before and get the both of us out of here</em>.”</p><p>The push wasn’t gentle at all. Henry stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but he managed to catch himself on the door. The young Toppat leader brought himself into a standing position again, reaching into his hair where the small lockpick still was. He leaned down and began to work, trying his best to ignore those sharp eyes who were staring at him, watching as his chest rose and fell with nervous breathes.</p><p>It took him longer than normal because his hands were shaking, but eventually, the lock clicked, signaling them that one of the locks was finally unlocked.</p><p>The door opened just a little bit, enough that Henry could stick his hands through, the creaking echoing through the darkness, reaching Ebony. The massive beast’s head shot up, her long, pointy ears twitching slightly, her eyes widening. “<em>Did you make it</em>?”, she asked, pushing herself away from the pillar, a hint of hope in her deep, rumbling voice. The leader of the Toppats nodded, taking a step back when the massive beast walked up to the door.</p><p>She reached out, tracing the rim of the door for the first time, a look of wonder on her face, before it slowly changed into one of anger. With a battle cry, the taller female kicked against the door, and since it was only held by one lock – with breaking the keyboard, Henry had destroyed the first one – her strength was enough to open it.</p><p>It swung open, crashing against the wall behind it, the structure breaking at the sheer force she had used.</p><p>Ebony panted, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes staring straight ahead, into the hall that would lead her to her freedom. Carefully, she lifted her leg and set her foot outside her “cell” for the first time in thirty-six years.</p><p>She looked around, an expression of pure wonder on her face, her red eyes glowing brightly, illuminating it enough so that Henry could make out the frame of the elevator on the other side. She began to walk, the slow, even steps echoing through the dimly lit area, her long hair swaying behind her.</p><p>She stopped right in front of the iron doors, lifting her arms, letting her fingers dance over the cold surface before she turned back, her face twisted into an unreadable expression as she stared directly at Henry.</p><p>“<em>I am free</em>…”, she muttered under her breath, a soft chuckle escaping her throat. She took a step forward, her ears twitching, her eyes glowing even brighter.</p><p>“<em>I am free</em>.”, she said again, but louder, the expression on her face slowly changing into one of utter joy mixed with evilness, her voice echoing through the darkness, only to be heard by the mice and rats and Henry himself, who couldn’t help but feel like this partnership was…</p><p>…something he should have thought twice about…</p><p>---</p><p>“<strong>WHAT?!</strong>”</p><p>The young prison guard flinched violently and took a step back as the fist of the old warden collided with the wooden surface of his desk, causing all objects that were not fixated or heavier than a stapler to jump a few inches into the air.</p><p>She swallowed thickly as she started into those sharp, golden eyes which were almost glowing with rage in the dimly lit room, trying her best to keep her voice steady as she repeated what she just told the man in broken Russian. “<em><strong>Toppats send people to free prisoners</strong></em>.”, she tried to say, hoping that what left her mouth would make sense. “<em><strong>Guards didn’t manage to catch them. Only one is still here</strong></em>.”</p><p>Dmitri said nothing in response. He only rose from his seat, head down, a furious snarl on his face. He turned his head to the side, his face covered by his shoulder-length, gray hair. His strong chest, covered by the grey uniform rose and fell with the uneven breath that came with his burning anger, and he slowly began to speak, his accent much thicker than before. “Who is the one you have actually managed to keep in the complex?”, he asked, and she could hear that he spoke through clenched teeth.</p><p>“It’s Henry Stickmin, the leader of the Toppats.”, she answered as soon as possible, not wanting to anger him even more. His breathing got uneven, and his nails dug into the wooden surface of the desk. By now, he was shaking, and the tension in the air became thick enough to cut it with a butter knife. The young woman swallowed again and took a step back, turning her head to the two other guards standing by the door, who gave her a frightened look.</p><p>Being in the boss’s office was never good, but when he was shaking with anger, things couldn’t get worse.</p><p>“Henry…Stickmin…”, he repeated slowly, reaching for a file underneath some papers, pulling it into his view. “<em><strong>That bastard</strong></em>…Where…is he?”, he asked, finally lifting his head, his sharp, golden eyes meeting her blue ones. “We…We don’t know…”, she spoke quietly, sweat slowly running down his face. “T-The cameras don’t s-show anything.”</p><p>Silence again.</p><p>The warden suddenly straightened his back and turned towards the window, his hands crossed behind his back, his nails digging into his flesh so hard the skin broke. “Find him.”, he rasped, his voice wavering as he tried his best not to scream his frustration out of him. “Get out of my office and go find him!! <strong>GO</strong>!!”</p><p>The prison guards standing there stumbled and hurried to get out of the door, the woman, being the last one, slamming it closed behind them.</p><p>As soon as the warden was sure that they were out of ear reach, a heavy sigh escaped his throat, and he pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window, his hands on the windowsill. He took a deep breath through his mouth and blew all the air through his nose, slowly turning his head towards a tall, muscular figure leaning against the wall.</p><p>He breathed in again, holding in for a few seconds before he huffed, his teeth clenched. “<strong>I don’t trust those idiots to do this alone</strong>.”, he spoke in Russian, watching as the other male slowly walked up to him, his dark ocean blue eyes watching his every move. He didn’t say anything, only waiting for the taller male to continue. “<strong>Go with them. Make sure that they actually succeed this time</strong>.”</p><p>The man nodded, already turning around to walk out of the door, but he stopped when his boss spoke again. “<strong>Grigori.</strong>” The owner of the name turned.</p><p>“<strong>Don’t disappoint me again</strong>.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Damn, this took long to write. It's quite late, and I've 9 hours of school tomorrow. That means a long time without eating...<br/>I still hope you liked it.^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Freedom finally comes for Henry and Ebony, but it comes at the cost of many, many lives.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally, I'm ready with this chapter. Sorry, I took so long. I hope I made it worth your wait.<br/>Hope you enjoy reading.^^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To say that Ebony felt uncomfortable in the elevator was an understatement.</p><p>During the whole ride, she was pacing around, her robe tightly wrapped around her far too thin body, revealing who starved she really was. It was obvious that she felt trapped.</p><p>Henry barely avoided another whip-like slap from her long, unkempt hair as she turned yet again, her talons – He still couldn't believe that those were actually talons on her feet – digging into the ground, leaving ugly scratches in the metallic surface. He gave a small sigh of relief, but just as the air left his lungs, Ebony turned around again, and this time, her hair didn't miss its target.</p><p>The leader of the Toppats grunted as it slapped against the back of his head, his hands reaching up to rub the sore spot. He wanted nothing more than to tell her to stop moving, but every time his eyes caught a glimpse of those huge claws that were digging into the soft but thin material of the female's robe, he decided against it. She had told him that she had been locked up for a very long time. Who knew what kind of mental illness she had developed during her imprisonment. He really didn't want to be the one to find out. He didn't want to be threatened by those long, sharp claws again.</p><p>One time was enough, thank you very much.</p><p>The signal of the elevator ripped Henry away from his thoughts, and he slowly stepped out of it, looking around the corners to see if there were any guards...at least that was his plan. Ebony, however, didn't even bother with that, and simply pushed him out of the way. She stepped into the middle of the hallway, looking around, her eyes giving off a soft glow, a low hum coming from her throat.</p><p>"Not much has changed since the last time I've been here.", she muttered and crossed her arms in front of her strong chest. "At least as far as I can tell." The creature took another step forward and lifted her head, sniffing slightly, taking in the scent of the complex. Henry stared at her questioningly, until she suddenly turned her head to look at him. "Where do we have to go now?", she asked, crocking her head to the side, her long, pointy ears twitching slightly.</p><p>The leader of the Toppats reached into his pockets and pulled out the small device that led him to Carol's prison cell. He activated it, glancing to the side to see Ebony's reaction. She stood still, waiting for him to show her the way, only her chest slowly rising and falling with the deep, heavy breaths she took, which sounded a little strained.</p><p>After a good minute, the screen showed him the map. Henry let his eyes roam over it, searching for a way that would lead them out. He made a humming sound when he found it and put it back in his pockets, beginning to lead the way, biting the inside of his cheek when he heard the massive creature’s steps echoing behind him as she followed him.</p><p>During walking, Ebony repeated what she did when she stepped out of the elevator a few times, scenting the air, trying to make out any smells that were suspicious. At first, there wasn’t anything interesting, but then, out of all sudden, she stopped walking.</p><p> While they were walking, Ebony repeated what she did when she stepped out of the elevator, taking in the scents that were surrounding them. Nothing caught her interest, when</p><p>She stayed silent for a while, glancing at Henry as he turned around to face her. "<em>I can smell guards</em>.", she told him, a strange tune in her voice. "<em>They are still a good distance away, but there are many of them</em>." Her sharp eyes were fixated on the hallway in front of her, her long ears twitching, already hearing the steps and murmurs of those who were coming closer and closer by second.</p><p>The young leader of the Toppats paled at those news and a quiet curse escaped him as he glanced at Ebony’s face, expecting to see a worried expression, but he only saw a thoughtful one, which slowly transformed into a grin, exposing many, many sharp fangs that were literally made to rip the flesh off her victims.</p><p>"<em>I know how to get past them</em>.", she told him and crossed her arms in front of her strong chest, her scarred face darkening again. "<em>But...my plan will cost me a ton of strength, and due to my starvation...there will not be much left of it. We have to hurry afterward</em>."</p><p>Right now, the fear of being locked up in “The Wall” for the rest of his life was bigger than the one of the plan the beast that had tried to kill him not even half an hour ago had, so he nodded blindly, making the tall female chuckle.</p><p>"<em>Good</em>.", she grinned as she continued to walk in the direction the guards were. The leader of the Toppats wanted to call after her, to ask her what she was doing, but before he could open his mouth, she lifted her hand and mentioned for him to follow her. "<em>Come, Henry. Don’t be afraid. We have to face the guards in order for it to work.</em>” He nodded, biting his lips as he began to run after her, hearing her chuckle.</p><p>As soon as he reached her, she began walking again, the sounds of her talons scratching the floor echoing through the air. The closer they came to the guards, the more her pointed ears twitched, and once and a while, the deep, rumbling growl vibrated in her chest. The Toppat leader’s shoulder tensed as he too could hear the steps and voices now, and unconsciously slowed down</p><p>They watched as the people’s shadow's appeared on the stony surface of the wall, and very slowly, one after the other came around the corner. Ebony did something strange then. She pulled the hood over her head and got into a hunching position. It was almost like she was trying to shield herself from view. The leader of the Toppats was confused, but that feeling was quickly replaced with panic as he heard a deep, heavily accented voice speak.</p><p>"You really are worst prisoner yet, Henry Stickmin."</p><p>Grigori Olyat stood there again, his face twisted into the usual stern expression, but his dark ocean blue eyes were almost glowing with anger.</p><p>---</p><p>Ebony felt herself freeze when out of all sudden, a very well-known scent reached her nostrils.</p><p>She shifted a little bit, reaching up to her nose, rubbing it gently before taking a deep breath. She let a quiet growl escape her throat, making Henry flinch a little bit, but she did not care. The tall creature glanced over his shoulder, being careful not to be fully exposed yet, her sharp eyes searching for the person who was the source of the scent that made her want to rip apart every single soul in this hallway.</p><p>She did not find him, however. He was not there.</p><p>His scent lingered in the air, but he was not underneath the people standing in front of them.</p><p>His absence made her snort in confusion and displeasure. It would have been wonderful if she would have the opportunity to kill him right here and now, but life did not always go as expected. There, however, was one question that plagued her mind. Where the hell does <em>his </em>scent come from?</p><p>Ebony shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. No, now was not the right time to think about this.</p><p>She needed to concentrate. She needed to collect all the strength she had left in her weak, mattered body to do something she hadn't done in a very long time, and she couldn't let herself get distracted from anything right now, not even by <em>his </em>smell, which made her want to vomit.</p><p>She closed her eyes, fully focusing on her mind and body. She felt how her blood became thicker, and how her body began to change slightly, her claws becoming sharper, her teeth longer.</p><p>Her entire body was...growing.</p><p>She grunted quietly as pain shot through her head and her spine, which were protesting to such an action in such a weakened state, but she simply ignored their pleads to stop, and slowly became something that would come straight out of a psychopathic horror movie.</p><p>---</p><p>Henry knew that something strange was happening to Ebony.</p><p>He heard the quiet grunts and pained growls that escaped her throat and felt how she barely brushed his back when she shuffled around, doing whatever she was doing. It was hard not to focus on her, but he tried his best to not turn his head in her direction, not wanting to spoil whatever she had planned.</p><p>He decided to look at Grigori in hope of distracting himself from her doings, and it worked. Because the curiosity was replaced by pure panic when he saw that the muscular male was slowly coming closer to him, the spear in his hand.</p><p>"In thirty years of service, I never had to encounter such person like you, Henry Stickmin. You're impossible. After breaking out of complex and making us look like fools, you dare return here and free your little Toppats?" The taller Russian spat the words like they were poison on his tongue and his face twisted into a furious expression. "You sure have some guts."</p><p>Henry swallowed thickly and tried to take a step back, but Ebony's body prevented him from doing so, so there was no way he could escape the tip of the weapon that pressed against his skin, not hard enough to break skin, but enough to hurt.</p><p>"And who is your little friend you hide, Henry? Fellow Toppat? Or someone else?"</p><p>The Toppats leader bit his lips, not really knowing what to do or what to say. He hissed quietly as the pressure increased, feeling hopeless as Grigori lifted an eyebrow. "What? No answer?"</p><p>Henry leaned back a little bit, trying to get a little bit of a distance between himself and the sharp edge of the spear when he suddenly...</p><p>...a deep, inhumane voice echoed through the air.</p><p>"No answer is needed!"</p><p>Henry suddenly felt dizzy and he gripped his head, a loud groan escaping. His vision got blurry, he couldn't focus on anything. He closed his eyes as he felt a sudden wave of nausea crash over him, trying to take deep breathes to calm his stomach, but before he could, he felt something large wrapped around his arm before he was pushed aside, hitting the ground with a grunt.</p><p>His ears began to ring, and his head hurt like someone hit him with a frying can. He reached up to grab it, his nails digging desperately into his flesh. He could feel that something was inside him, wrapping its cold fingers around his mind, blocking almost everything that was happening around him...but not everything.</p><p>He could hear screams. Horrified screams that were a mixture of pain and absolute horror.</p><p>They sobbed, begging someone to stop whatever they were doing, crying out in pain as their pleads were not heard. And underneath them all, he could hear him.</p><p>Grigori...</p><p>He screamed, but not with them, he screamed at them. He screamed at them to retreat, he yelled at them to bring themselves to safety, to just run, to get out, but his voice suddenly stopped, drowning in the others.</p><p>He didn't know how long it lasted. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours, but eventually, it all stopped. The only noise that remained was the ringing in his ears, which was slowly decreasing until there was absolutely nothing but silence.</p><p>Carefully, Henry lifted his head, brave enough to open his eyes, but his vision was completely black, showing him absolute darkness. Panicking, the brunette rubbed his green orbs, trying desperately to do something that would make him see again, but nothing worked.</p><p>"Henry?", a deep, female voice echoed through the air, catching his attention. He lifted his head, trying to find the source.</p><p>He flinched when he suddenly felt cold claws wrap around his arms and chin, forcing him to stop moving and look up. At first, he still saw only darkness, but then slowly, two glowing orbs appeared in the pure blackness. They blinked a few times, getting brighter and brighter every time, and slowly, the young man could make out the well-known image of Ebony's beautiful yet frightening face.</p><p>He closed his eyes again, wiping them on his shoulder before reopening, trying to focus on her, blinking to sharpen his vision. "Ah, there you are.", she chuckled and released his chin to ruffle his hair, a small grin on her face. "I already thought I overdid it."</p><p>---</p><p>The entire complex was filled with silence.</p><p>No guard spoke, none of them moved, and some did not even dare to breathe. They all were frozen, the screams they heard not even a few seconds ago still echoing through their heads.</p><p>The warden, too, was shocked to his bones. He sat in his office chair, his phone against his ear, his sharp golden eyes not focused on anything. The person on the other side of the call tried to speak, not reacting at first, only as the woman yelled out a furious "Hey! Are you still there?!", he reacted.</p><p>"I-I'll call you later.", he stuttered and ended the call before grabbing the telephone on his desk, immediately calling some random guard.</p><p>"Sir?", a man greeted, his voice shaky.</p><p>"What happened?", Dmitri immediately asked, not even caring to greet back. "What did cause the guards to scream like Banshees? What in the name of the “Wall" is going on?!"</p><p>The man on the other side of the call took a few deep breathes, trying to calm himself so that the German accent in his voice would not be too thick so that his boss could actually understand what came over his lips. "I-I don't know. ", he rasped with a shaky voice. "They just walked down the halls a few minutes ago...they were completely fine...and suddenly, they all just started screaming!"</p><p>"Do you know on which floor they came from?", the warden asked, unable to hide the panic in his voice, remembering who he sent with them. "Y-Yeah, they're on floor eleven. S-Sir, I-I don't have a good feeling about this...", the man whined, and the fabric of his uniform rustled as he hugged himself.</p><p>"Me neither.", the old man spoke and ended the call. He grabbed his coat and hurried out of his office and down the hall, directly heading towards the elevator while dialing another number, holding his phone against his ear as he pressed the button that would tell the elevator to bring him to floor eleven. A cruse came over his lips as he only got the mailbox, and he tried again, only to get the same result.</p><p>Panic he had not felt in years bloomed in his chest, and as soon as the doors were opened wide enough for him to get through, he dashed down the halls and past the guards, who were still shocked to the bones, trying to search for the area where those horrible screams came from. After good half, an hour of searching, he found it, and felt himself freeze yet again.</p><p>He stared straight ahead, unable to blink, unable to move, unable to breathe.</p><p>There. Was. Blood. Everywhere.</p><p>It ran down the wall, dripped from the ceiling to the ground, into the puddles that slowly ran through the cracks and into the cold stone floor. What was not covered in the red, sticky substance has either been out of range during the massacre…or was covered with a corpse.</p><p>Dmitri had to swallow thickly as he took a step forward, cringing inwardly as the blood immediately circled his boot. There was just…so much.</p><p>Carefully, he stepped through the mess and kneeled down in front of the first body. He grabbed it, turned it around, only to flinch back when he saw what the cause of the guard's demise was...</p><p>His chest and stomach were ripped, and so were his organs. The bones were broken, and he was just soaked with his own essence of life, which has mixed in with the one flooding the floor. The warden covered his mouth, taking a step back, feeling how the horror he felt flooded his mind.</p><p>He turned his head towards the other bodies, some of them facing the floor, other’s facing the ceiling, only a few facing the wall. Dmitri continued to walk through the mess of mattered bodies, turning his normally black boots red.</p><p>He could feel their stares. He could feel the unseeing eyes look at him, some of them still widened in pure horror.</p><p>A horror Dmitri felt now too, but not only because of the consequences of the massacre around him, no…</p><p>He felt this horror rush through his veins and freeze every single part of his body as he saw a certain man lying in the lake of blood, a huge gash on his muscular chest, which was still bleeding heavily…</p><p>“Grigori…”</p><p>---</p><p>Whatever Ebony did to him, it didn’t last long.</p><p>After merely three minutes of regaining his senses, the only thing that remained from the strange event was a slight headache and a small amount of dizziness. His body was handling whatever it was well…but Ebony seemed like somebody just sucked all of her energy out of her.</p><p>Her majestic posture has almost completely disappeared, her back was even more hunched over than it had been before, and she seemed to be…shaking slightly.</p><p>Her talons dug into the floor more than before, trying desperately to hold her weight as she slowly walked behind him, her ice-cold breath puffing out of her nose and her mouth…eh, excuse me…her maw. Her beautiful eyes were much duller, and the glow has decreased greatly.</p><p>It seemed like she would soon collapse.</p><p>Henry shot her a worried look when he heard a strained grunt coming from behind him, and turned to look at the massive creature, who, of course, noticed this. She chuckled weakly, and let her claws run through her hair, shaking her head slightly. “<em>Seems like I was weaker than I thought</em>.”, she wheezed and rubbed her aching forehead, cutting her skin slightly with her claws.</p><p>He watched as she stumbled against the wall, taking deep breaths while slowly massaging her forehead, trying to get rid of the dizziness she was feeling at the moment. The Toppat leader watched, not sure if he should do something or not, but after Ebony let out a strained, suffering growl, he took a deep breath and forced himself to speak.</p><p>“B-Break?”, he asked, flinching slightly as Ebony’s head shot in his direction. She took a few deep breathes before a rough chuckle escaped her throat, huffing the air out of her lungs. “<em>A break?</em>”, she panted, and her long, reptilian-like tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. “<em>No. Not now. I will rest as soon as we’re outta here.</em>”</p><p>The female creature forced herself to continue to walk, shaking her head to clear her brain while Henry hurried to catch up with her, having to watch out the long, furry tail that wagged so violently that it could be used as a whip, trying to hold her steady.</p><p>Deciding not to argue with her, Henry followed her massive figure as she strode through the halls, remembering every single turn they had to take to get out.</p><p>Despite her weakness, Ebony had no trouble punching through the metallic door that separated them from the yard, stepping into the fresh air. One of the guards immediately noticed them, and loaded his weapon, pointing it at them both with shocked eyes. The female creature huffed and grabbed the weapon before he could shoot, ripping it out of his hand before wrapping her finger’s around his neck, hoisting him up into the air.</p><p>Henry flinched as she threw him against the stone wall, a sickening crack echoing through the air as she crushed his skull. Letting his dead body fall to the ground, she grabbed Henry’s collar and pulled him with her, aiming for the open entrance. Before they could leave, however, a shot ran through the air and hit her back.</p><p>Ebony snarled in pain, her eye twitching dangerously. She wiped around, searching for the fool that actually dared to hurt her. A screech echoed through the air, and the large female leaped at the woman, who went pale and tried to run away, but she didn’t stand a chance against the female creature, who grabbed the fabric of her uniform to pull her back.</p><p>“<em>Run, Henry.</em>”, she yelled to her new ally, chuckling wickedly. “<em>I promise to come after you! I just need to teach this young lady a lesson</em>!” The Toppat leader swallowed thickly, hesitating for a second, but then he nodded and turned around, making his way out of the complex for the second time.</p><p>Ebony watched as he disappeared before she turned her head towards the woman, who had hidden her face behind her arms, trying to shield herself from whatever was to come, but unfortunately, this only made the monster laugh out loud. “<em>Aww, sweety</em>…”, she chuckled wickedly and leaned down, her body bending in an unhealthy way. “<em>Do you really think that those skinny arms are going to protect you</em>?” She tapped against them, making their owner flinch back violently. She laughed quietly and flexed her claws while slowly lifting her hand, the sharp tips flashing in the dim moonlight.</p><p>“<strong><em>No, they will not</em></strong>!”, she hollered and slashed out, cutting her throat.</p><p>A small purr escaped Ebony’s throat as she watched the blood soak the snow and the clothes of the young woman, stepping off her to watch her fight against bleeding out for a second before turning around and running to join Henry, who already was quite a distance away.</p><p>If there were any other guards, they simply didn’t attack them anymore.</p><p>The large female, however, didn’t step through the gate right away. Before she did, she stopped and turned her head in the direction of the complex, a wicked grin made its way across her maw, but not the ones she gave Henry or her victims, no…</p><p>This was a grin she had reserved for her worst enemy only.</p><p>“<em>You might have won the last battle we had...</em>”, she whispered under her breath, her words a haunting wind that went through the complex and seemed to make everyone, even the warden, shiver. “<em>But that doesn’t mean that you have won the war, my dear. The war…has only just <strong>begun</strong></em>!”</p><p>With one throaty laugh, she now finally turned and ran on all four, catching up with the Toppat leader in no time, who had stopped running, clearly exhausted. She watched him lean against a tree, trying to catch his breath, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Ebony chuckled lowly, circling him slowly. “<em>For a criminal, you’re not really fit</em>.”, she chuckled, making Henry scowl at her weakly.</p><p>However, this caused a laugh to escape her throat, making him shiver. It sounded so…dangerous.</p><p>He swallowed as Ebony walked past him again, of course, a grin on her face, over to the cliff they were currently at, her long, furry tail caressing his chin before disappearing underneath the robe again, which she had pulled tighter around herself for now.</p><p>She stopped right at the edge, digging his talons into the cold, iced surface, deep enough to pierce the hard and stony surface beneath it. She turned her head towards him one last time taking a deep breath, before throwing her head back, an ear-shattering screech of victory echoing through the air.</p><p>Henry cried out, covering his ears as best as he could as she did that, shivering when he had to go to his knees, the screech becoming too much for him. It almost felt…like Ebony was in his head…messing around with his mind with each and every little thing she did.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was pretty violent. But we are talking about Ebony, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading.&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to write it. I'll try to post one chapter per week, but I'm not sure if I can make it, so please don't be angry with me if I need longer than intended to.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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